Drug Testing for Fentanyl (Fentora)
Fentanyl can provide a great deal of relief to patients experiencing severe or chronic pain, but taking Fentanyl illegally or without a prescription is extremely dangerous. Fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and it is even more potent than heroin, so its consumption can quickly lead to dependency, addiction and even overdose. Click here to see our drug testing kits for Fentanyl, or find the drug testing product that is right for you and order it online now. Click here to see the drug testing kits for Fentanyl (Opioids) or find the drug testing product that is right for you and order it right online.
Pharmaceutical Fentanyl (Fentora) is a synthetic opioid painkiller typically found in prescriptions for people undergoing cancer treatment. Physicians may also prescribe Fentanyl for patients with chronic pain, or who are experiencing severe pain following a surgery. However, illicit Fentanyl is also sold on the streets, and can often be found mixed into other drugs like heroin.
What does it look like and how is it taken?
In a medical setting, Fentanyl is often administered or prescribed using a patch on the skin, via a shot or as a lozenge.
Illegal forms of Fentanyl, however, can be sold as a powder, spiked onto blotter paper, found in eye droppers and nasal sprays, or even manufactured into pills that resemble other prescription opioids. Illicit Fentanyl is also often mixed into other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine. Fentanyl can be injected, snorted, sniffed, smoked or taken orally in pill form, though Fentanyl patches can also be abused.
Illegal or Legal?
Fentanyl is only legal when obtained with a prescription for pain relief, and doctors must assess whether patients are a good fit for Fentanyl before prescribing it. Fentanyl can be found in the following prescription drugs: Actiq, Duragesic and Sublimaze.
However, most forms of Fentanyl that are consumed and distributed in the U.S. are illegal, and there are many illegal analogs and derivatives of Fentanyl that are both stronger and easier to obtain than their prescription counterpart.
As mentioned above, Fentanyl was originally developed for pain relief and anesthetic purposes. Doctors typically prescribe Fentanyl for patients experiencing chronic pain — as a result of cancer treatment, for example, or following a surgery — but only if those patients already have tolerance to other opioids, making them less affective for pain relief.
People who taken Fentanyl illegally often do so to induce feelings of euphoria, relaxation and and pain relief. Users may also intentionally mix Fentanyl with other drugs to enhance the high they experience.
Dangers and Side Effects
Even when prescribed by a physician, Fentanyl can be dangerous because its potency can easily lead to dependency and addiction. Patients who are prescribed Fentanyl may experience withdrawal symptoms once they stop taking it; these symptoms can include loss of appetite, agitation, anxiety, fever, diarrhea and intense cravings for Fentanyl.
The illicit use of Fentanyl can be even more dangerous because many people don’t always know they’re taking it. It has become profitable for people selling other drugs, such as heroin or even cocaine, to lace their products with Fentanyl to make them more potent and dependent. As a result, users may consume heroin without knowing that it contains a potentially fatal dose of Fentanyl, and that can easily lead to a Fentanyl drug overdose. This can happen even with the first dose.
Short term side effects of Fentanyl can include nausea, vomiting, constipation, an altered heart rate, confusion, weakness, hallucinations, slower breathing, itchy skin and seizures.
Long term side effects include an increased risk of anoxic injury, harm to personal friendships and relationships, aggravation of pre-existing mental health conditions like depression, and a greater likelihood of overdose, coma and death.
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